4 reasons why I switched from Nvidia to AMD

Nvidia has change into one of many 10 most precious firms on the earth in just some months, crowning a development that was began with the crypto increase. But whereas Nvidia is raking in document gross sales with future applied sciences, as a gamer I’ve turned away—at the least for now.

I’ve all the time thought model loyalty was a foolish idea, particularly within the know-how sector. A product needs to be evaluated by itself deserves, primarily based on standards related to its supposed use. A graphics card, for instance, is evaluated on elements resembling efficiency, power effectivity, vary of capabilities, and worth.

The firm that manufactures the product ought to at most be included within the determination if it stands out for social dedication or environmentally pleasant manufacturing, for instance.

Now, nobody can declare that Nvidia makes dangerous graphics playing cards. On the opposite, the corporate has set many tendencies lately: G-Sync, ray tracing, DLSS, and Reflex, to title a couple of. Especially within the higher class, Team Green’s ferocious RTX 4090 has no rival. And but, having just lately discovered myself due for a PC improve, I opted for an AMD graphics card.

Although my GeForce RTX 2080 Ti has served me properly for years, I just lately changed it with an RX 6950 XT from AMD. Here are my very private reasons for doing so.

Further studying: Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti vs. RTX 3060 Ti vs. AMD 6700 XT

The pitfall of latest applied sciences

In the previous few years, Nvidia has launched one new know-how after one other and in the end (at the least presently) received the duel towards AMD. With ray tracing, Nvidia has set a graphics development that may in all probability be with us for a while to come and wherein Team Green is a pioneer. The DLSS upscaling know-how remains to be forward of the AMD and Intel alternate options.

However, it’s changing into increasingly more of a development that these improvements should not actually backwards suitable—and that could be a catastrophe from the patron’s viewpoint. For instance, stated Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), whose newest model 3 together with body technology is simply suitable with Nvidia’s present 40-series playing cards.

So when you purchased a 20- or 30-series card previously years, presumably for some huge cash given the graphics card costs of the previous couple of years, you at the moment are already trying down the tube.

There are after all technical reasons why these new applied sciences don’t work on outdated playing cards. Nevertheless, as a shopper I don’t like the sensation when an costly product is consigned to the vintage division by the producer after only some years. Especially since there’s one other approach, as AMD exhibits.

Even although Nvidia has good arguments on its aspect from a technical viewpoint, AMD has not been idle lately both—and is pursuing a very completely different technique. AMD makes its in-house applied sciences accessible to as many customers as attainable. One instance of that is FreeSync, which, in distinction to G-Sync, works with a considerably bigger number of displays which might be usually additionally cheaper than counterparts with G-Sync certification.

It turns into even clearer when evaluating FSR towards DLSS. While AMD’s know-how is suitable even with competitor graphics playing cards from Nvidia and Intel, Nvidia not occasionally excludes GPUs from its personal home when it comes to new capabilities. For instance, DLSS solely works when utilizing an RTX GPU, older GTX fashions are neglected within the chilly, and DLSS 3 Frame Generation solely works with the present RTX 40-series graphics playing cards. AMD depends on trade requirements and open supply options, whereas Nvidia implements proprietary options.

It felt like Nvidia was continually bringing new options to the market with out actually addressing the wants of current clients. Team Red could also be a bit behind within the newest high-tech options, but it surely depends on open supply applied sciences and doesn’t have to conceal in any respect in elementary areas like rasterization efficiency and reminiscence.

And even when ray tracing is now carried out in increasingly more video games, with out ray tracing you possibly can play any recreation, however with out rasterization you possibly can’t play any recreation—aside from a couple of exceptions with path tracing.

AMD concentrates on the necessities

While Nvidia, additionally because of the corporate’s shift in direction of AI applied sciences, is certainly a driver of innovation, AMD has more and more focused on the necessities lately. A shining instance is the built-in video reminiscence, which is changing into more and more necessary at greater resolutions and ranges of element.

Only just lately, Nvidia has as soon as once more proven with the RTX 4060 that the corporate doesn’t succeed within the balancing act between using new applied sciences and a stable fundamental configuration. A robust ray tracing efficiency and DLSS 3 are of little use if the 8GB video reminiscence is now not adequate for contemporary video games in full HD. Especially since each applied sciences additional enhance the reminiscence necessities.

AMD just isn’t immune to these errors both, because the Radeon RX 7600 with solely 8 GB of RAM additionally exhibits, but it surely usually has a greater reminiscence configuration, particularly within the midrange and higher class. An illustrative instance of that is the RX 7900 XTX, which not solely has considerably extra video reminiscence, however can also be cheaper than its Nvidia counterpart, the RTX 4080. And even when it comes to pure rasterization efficiency, AMD playing cards are sometimes on a par with and even forward of Nvidia on the identical worth.

Better price-performance ratio

If we depart the RTX 4090 apart for a second (at a beginning worth of $1,600 it’s irrelevant for my eventual buy selections anyway), one can find an AMD equal for each Nvidia card that’s on par when it comes to reminiscence tools and rasterization efficiency. And most often, the AMD card would be the cheaper various.

Of course, when you worth ray tracing and like DLSS to AMD’s various FSR, this query doesn’t come up. Because in these areas Nvidia merely can’t be crushed in the meanwhile, and it’s exactly because of this that the corporate can be very artistic in its pricing.

AMD, however, should and needs to persuade with traditional arguments, specifically stable efficiency, accessible various applied sciences, and ample reminiscence at a horny worth (at the least in contrast to the competitors). And if, like me, these factors are in the end decisive for you, then it’s best to at the least contemplate Team Red on your subsequent PC improve.

Further studying: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti vs. AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

AMD Software Adrenalin Edition vs. Nvidia GeForce Experience

But not solely the {hardware}, but additionally the software program ought to play a job within the buy determination.

As a long-time person of an Nvidia graphics card, it’s nonetheless incomprehensible to me why the producer doesn’t handle to mix all capabilities in a single software program program. If I need to change the monitor decision or refresh fee, activate G-Sync or use Dynamic Super Resolution, I have to do that within the Nvidia management panel, which, by the way in which, nonetheless appears the identical because it did 20 years in the past.

AMD

If, however, a driver replace is to be carried out, a recreation routinely optimized or the sport recorded or streamed through ShadowPlay, then GeForce Experience is important. As an outdated hand, I now know the place to discover which setting, however for newcomers it’s already user-unfriendly if in case you have to click on by two purposes till you discover the specified setting. In addition, using GeForce Experience requires a person account.

With AMD, however, the AMD software program Adrenalin Edition will be put in along with the driving force. There is not any want to log in and all capabilities will be discovered clearly in a single utility.

Editor’s be aware: This article was translated from German to English, and initially appeared on pcwelt.de.